Soul Review

This review is taken straight from my Letterboxd profile, a place where I review whatever movies and limited series I watch on my own.

Oh, my god, I totally forgot this movie was a Disney+ exclusive and I also wanted to watch another film from the service before my subscription is canceled, so you'll be getting another review of a Disney+ original right after this one. In the meantime, let's review Soul. I've heard that this movie was yet another powerful addition to Pixar's roster for a while, but haven't had the chance to check it out until now. It was absolutely worth the wait. Soul is a charming, beautifully animated, and clever film with a timely heartwarming message typical of the standard Pixar format and likable, well-fleshed-out characters that make that message come to life. Admittedly, as a whole, this film is definitely a bit less emotional and a bit more of a fun adventure film than I was honestly expecting, but even those adventure aspects of the film are executed really well, and the relationship that develops between Joe and 22 of this film is fun to watch.

This film isn't just another exploration of the afterlife as you may expect it to be at first glance, it's an exploration of the things that drive us as individuals, how we find purpose in life, and what happens when maybe that purpose isn't everything we hoped for. It encourages its audience to look at their lives from an outside perspective and find what truly makes them tick while also accepting that sometimes, what you think drives you doesn't always give you the fulfillment you crave. It's okay to struggle, it's okay to feel inadequate sometimes, the important thing is that you learn what keeps you going and keep finding things that make you excited to live in the moment. I think this is the kind of message that Pixar excels at the most, the kind that will always be relevant and relatable no matter how old you are or when you watch their movies. Whether it's being discouraged by loved ones for doing something that drives you or struggling to find that passion in the first place, this film delves into what drives our lives and what makes each moment worth living regardless of what's going on in our world.

Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey are absolutely phenomenal in this film. Their voices fit these characters so well and their delivery is perfectly natural. On top of that, it's really satisfying to hear Graham Norton in a mainstream film, especially an animated one. I love his show, so seeing him as a character in this film is just an absolute delight. Richard Ayoade and Daveed Diggs also get very minor roles in this film, and I just love hearing their voices as well. It's really Foxx and Fey that steal the show, however, they're just fantastic. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's score is, as usual, euphoric and Jon Batiste's jazz compositions are incredibly spirited and fun. As I said, the animation is consistently gorgeous, feeling stylized but also very grounded in the real world. Finally, of course, the story feels like classic Pixar, the kind of human yet other-worldly stories that Pixar tells best. While the film is overall a bit less emotionally powerful than I was hoping it would be, I have a feeling that when I watch this film again, it'll feel even more emotionally powerful to me. Soul is another great addition to Pixar's roster, and if you have Disney+ and you haven't checked it out yet, definitely see it.

Letter Grade: A